5 things to see at Brookgreen Gardens’ popular holiday event. Here’s how to get a ticket

Terri Richardson
·3 min read

It is one of the most sought-after tickets for the holidays in the Myrtle Beach area.

Brookgreen Gardens’ “Nights of a Thousand Candles” quickly sell out when they go on sale to the general public in August, and even when some tickets do show back up, they are quickly snapped up in a matter of minutes.

There is no wait list for the event that runs through the end of December. If you want a ticket, your best bet is to keep checking the website.

“I tell people when you first wake up to make that the first thing you do,” Lauren Joseph, vice president of marketing, said about checking the website for tickets.

Joseph said tickets are released when they become available. As of Nov. 20, Brookgreen had sold more than 80,000 tickets for the event.

One thing people shouldn’t do is purchase tickets off of social media, according to Janet Coen, manager of public exhibits. There have been many postings on Facebook recently offering event tickets for sale.

Coen said many of those are scams and that “chances of people selling ‘Nights of a Thousand Candles’ tickets is very slim.”

Instead, people will make copies of a ticket to sell, Coen said. Unfortunately, there already have been people who have come to the event with fake tickets, thinking they had a real one, Coen said. Those tickets are not honored, she said.

If you are one of the lucky ones to have scored a spot to visit the historic gardens this holiday season, there are some things you may not want to overlook while you are there.

Here are five things you should see:

Cypress trees lit up each night

There is a tree lighting at 6:45 p.m. each night of the event, Coen said. Following a countdown, five large cypress trees are lit. The lighting also includes carolers and candy canes.

The lighting of six cypress trees takes place each evening following carols at Brookgreen Gardens. Nights of a Thousand candles at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet is in its 24th year and is one of the south’s most celebrated holiday destinations. Three thousand candles are lit each night and there are over 180,000 lights hanging from the trees in Oak Allee alone. More than 80,000 tickets have been sold to this year’s events. Nov. 30, 2023.

Warm up with a s’more, or two

Behind the holiday trees, don’t miss the s’mores pits. It is there that people can roast marshmallows, Coen said.

S’more pits are set up near the lighting of six cypress trees at Brookgreen Gardens. Nights of a Thousand candles at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet is in its 24th year and is one of the south’s most celebrated holiday destinations. Three thousand candles are lit each night and there are over 180,000 lights hanging from the trees in Oak Allee alone. More than 80,000 tickets have been sold to this year’s events. Nov. 30, 2023.

Oak trees decorated with thousands of lights

Live Oak Allee, which is comprised of 250-year-old live oak trees, is the gardens largest draw, Coen said. The trees will have 18,000 light strands that feature 180,000 bulbs of lights.

Celebrate with Charlie Brown

What would Christmas be without the Charlie Brown holiday special? At the gardens, people can listen to the theme song of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” while roaming the children’s area.

A child passes through a tunnel of lights in the Children’s Garden. Nights of a Thousand candles at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet is in its 24th year and is one of the south’s most celebrated holiday destinations. Three thousand candles are lit each night and there are over 180,000 lights hanging from the trees in Oak Allee alone. More than 80,000 tickets have been sold to this year’s events. Nov. 30, 2023.

Bottle trees that shimmer

Beyond the garden wall, visitors can find 11 bottle trees that are decorated with 135 recycled seltzer bottles that shimmer.

“You can’t tell they’re bottles,” Coen said. Coen said people often inquire what they are.

There are many other things to see at the event. Coen said there are usually 50 volunteers each night who will help navigate people to parts of the gardens.

Beyond the garden wall, 11 bottle trees are made from 135 recycled bottles shimmering with blue and white light. Nights of a Thousand candles at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet is in its 24th year and is one of the south’s most celebrated holiday destinations. Three thousand candles are lit each night and there are over 180,000 lights hanging from the trees in Oak Allee alone. More than 80,000 tickets have been sold to this year’s events. Nov. 30, 2023.

About the event

The gardens will be illuminated with nearly 3,000 hand-lit candles and sparkling lights. Visitors can stroll through the garden pathways, warming up with a cup of cider, cocoa or wine. There will also be holiday music and carolers singing.

When the event started 24 years ago, it was a way “to really try to get people to come to the gardens in the winter time,” Joseph said. It now has a large impact on the tourism and local economy, she said.

“It has really become a major driver in the month of December for tourists,” Joseph said. “It’s our largest fundraiser.”

The gardens, located in Murrells Inlet, offer a mix of art, nature and history.

Originally the site of four rice plantations, it was founded by Archer Huntington, a writer and philanthropist, and his wife, Anna Hyatt Huntington, a sculptor. Today the garden is on 9,000 acres between the Waccamaw River and the Atlantic Ocean. Huntington State Park, which is directly across the street, is maintained by the state as part of the park system.